It’s all cycle-logical.  T-minus 37 days to launch.  Part 2: Geography lesson.

“Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the human race.”  HG Wells.

The gold and the blue; Bedfordshire countryside this week

Autumnal high pressure keeps team buoyant

Progress report this week.  The team has logged some amazing mileage: between the twelve of fifteen members you can see online (use the Strava box: This week totals…in the top right) there has been over 2500km of training over 45 rides in ONE WEEK.  That is just the training that was logged, there will be more conducted on the rollers in secret!  Such is the intensity of activity I am quite happy to confess I was ditched from pole position to fifth last week in the space of one day.  Motivation is high and morale is good; the only high pressure is atmospheric, hence the activity.

I recently met a lady who took a sabbatical to cycle 4000 miles around the coast of the UK, solo in ten weeks and then write a book about it.  She said that her philosophy was: why go abroad when there's so much you haven’t seen of your own country?  Granted, we are not going to be sightseeing here, but even to lay eyes directly on all those counties and UK sights of interest: Peaks, Lakes, Gretna Green…well, that is a rare opportunity.  Easyjet gives us the chance to look out which is a wonderful thing…but we often forget to look in too.  The team will gladly remind me of this in five weeks time; there will be plenty of time to look in, in pain, once in the saddle.  Kudos Nietzsche and Freud.

A small geography lesson.  Disclaimer: the route is subject to minor tweaks depending on exact hotel arrangements, still to be locked-in.  The hotels that is, not locked-IN-the-hotels.  That would be embarrassing.  This is 98% of the route as designed by our Yoda of Cycling and Team Coordinator.  Attention Sir Dave Brailsford; are you getting twitchy yet?

Day 1 – Glasgow to Gretna: The Tartan High Roller

150km

1387m ascent

Depart Glasgow airport.  On-time, naturally.  We hope some of our orange brethren in the Glasgow base will be there to send us off in a skirl of bagpipes.  Head south through Paisley towards Strathaven on the southern edge of Glasgow, where we head east to draw alongside the M74 at Lesmahagow.  The terrain gets lumpy between 30 and 80kms.  We then parallel the M74 south through countryside, along A & B roads, over the highest point of the day outside Moffat, 320m at 86km in.  Then turn due south pointing towards Lockerbie and the finish in Gretna, downhill more or less all the way from here.  Witness a wedding conducted by Elvis.  Possibly.  Counties count: Lanarkshire & Dumfriesshire.

Day 2 – Gretna to Clitheroe: The Cumbrian Climber

156km

2226m ascent

Parallelling a different motorway today as the M74 morphs into the M6 north of Carlisle.  Pass closest to the sea on the eastern tip of the Solway Firth.  Funnelled uphill between the Lake District to the West and Yorkshire Dales to the East, then reach the top of the descent into Kirkby Lonsdale.  The terrain then kicks up to the high point of the day at 420m, climbing 350m inside 10kms.  There’s a last little spike on the run-in to Clitheroe.  Counties: Cumbria & Lancashire.

Day 3 – Clitheroe to Derby: Post-Industrial to The Peaks

150km

2543m ascent

Due south today through Blackburn, Bolton, Manchester & Stockport inside the first 65km.  Run south-east into the Peak District towards Bakewell and the high point of the day at 400m.  Punchy up and down until leaving the Peak District where the road points down and we cruise into Derby.  This will be the hardest day for my money, only half way at the start, with two hefty days down and the greatest amount of climbing to get through.  Counties: Lancashire & Derbyshire

Day 4 – Derby to Luton: Countryside Crawl

184km

1834m ascent

Day of pointing south-east today following our noses for our (spiritual) home of Luton.  A taste of the countryside again after yesterday’s initial industrial flavour.  A rough tracking of the M1 as we pass between Leicester & Lichfield, Wellingborough & Northampton.  Home turf starts at Bedford as we pass Cranfield Airport & Millbrook Proving Ground.  Mobilise that last day adrenaline for the extra 35km to get through today, the only day of over 100 miles.  Stop traffic and arrive at Hangar 89 in time for tea and sticky buns.  Counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire & Bedfordshire.

Remember, all of this can be done in 50 minutes with the help of an Airbus A320 and 5 tonnes of Jet A1.

As the crow flies, the route is about 60% of the length of the UK.